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Home » Turkish » Turkish Manti Dumplings

Published: Mar 26, 2021 · Modified: Mar 26, 2021 by Yusuf

Turkish Manti Dumplings

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Turkish manti is a food you have to taste! The tiny homemade pastry filled with spicy ground beef, cooked in water and served with a yogurt sauce. That butter sauce on manti dumplings is a to-die-for final touch.

If you are interested in Turkish recipes like manti, you should try our Turkish eggs recipe, which is served with yogurt and spicy butter sauces too. Belive it or not, we love these sauces on stuffed grape leaves dolmas too. They match together wonderfully!

Turkish manti with a yogurt sauce topped with a spicy butter sauce in a white bowl and a spoon inside it.
Jump to:
  • What is Manti?
  • Making Manti Food Together
  • Ingredients
  • Manti From Scratch
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Other Turkish Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

What is Manti?

Dumplings in Turkish are called manti and it’s one of those dishes everyone craves for every time. A dough similar to pasta dough is rolled out, cut in tiny squares and filled with a spicy groud beef filling. Traditionally, we serve manti with garlicky yogurt and a spicy butter sauce on it. Manti is not only known in Turkey, it is also famous in Chinese, Armenian, Russian, Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Balkan cuisines. It has different names in each culture for sure.

turkish manti dumplings stuffed and sealed

It’s not an easy dish for many people, so people may not prefer making it at home. If you insist on eating Turkish manti, but have no time to make it, you can find it packaged at markets. I find them tasteless though, they are no different from pasta and they have almost no filling inside. There are some small bakery like shops in Turkey producing and selling Turkish dumplings, which are better than market versions. If the owner of these shops is an old lady and if she herself makes it, this is even better! But still why not make it at home?

Making Manti Food Together

Well, I admit that it’s a bit time-consuming if you are making it alone, but I can’t say that it’s a difficult dish. It might take hours to make these small dumplings depending on the amount. Time is the real concern here, so Turkish women come together at one of their homes and make it in a teamwork. At least 3 women - sometimes more work together to make dumplings especially for special days like weddings, welcome or farewell parties or family unions. One of them make dough and roll it out, another one cut it into squares, a third one put filling on each square and then they all start to close them up.

Hands holding a bowl of manti with yogurt and spicy butter sauces on a dark background.

Making Turkish Dumplings Manti means more than making the dish itself. Although they serve for one purpose, which is completing the dish, women never miss the chance of having some chat; well, maybe a bit gossiping! And this is absolutely the best solution for time problem! They can hardly realize how time runs when they finally seal the last dumpling!

The best part of making dumplings with some friends is that you have lots of it in the end and you can freeze some for a future cooking! It becomes an easy dish then! Just boil them in water and enjoy with yogurt!

I think teamwork is definitely a must if you are planning to make Turkish Dumplings Manti for a large group of guests, but you can easily handle it yourself if you make it for two of you.

ingredients for manti recipe

Ingredients

So what goes into Turkish manti dumplings recipe? First, let's talk about the dough. You don’t need many ingredients for manti dough. Flour, egg, salt and water are what you need. We sometimes make it with whole wheat flour, but you can use all purpose flour too.

As for the filling, we need ground beef, onion, parsley and spices. Optionally, we use very little pepper or tomato paste too.

As for the service, we need two kind of sauces. First one is a yogurt sauce with garlic. Second is a spicy butter sauce.

Manti From Scratch

The recipe has 4 folds: Making the dough and cutting it into tiny squares, prepare the filling, fill the squares, cook them in hot water just like you cook pasta, serve with yogurt and spicy butter sauces.

Turkish dumplings dough on a wooden board and a thin rolling pin on the side.
Rolled out dough wrapped on a thin rolling pin on a wooden board.
A hand cutting thin dough into tiny squares with a knife.

Mix flour, egg and salt in a large bowl. Add water little by little and mix with your hand. Knead it well until you have a not very soft dough. You can add extra water or flour to have this result. Roll the dough ball out not very thin, about 2mm. Cut it first into strips and then into small squares.

So many dough squares waiting to be closed up! If you double the ingredients, you feel that you need someone to help you at this stage!

Hands closing manti dough squares.
Hands showing how to close up manti dough.
Hands sealing manti dough.

Here starts the fun part! First fold it into two. Then combine all edges. Then you have this bundle like shape. It took me no longer than 15-20 minutes to finish them all!

manti dough squares topped with ground lamb or beef

Cook the dumplings. Heat 4 cups of water in a pot and add dumplings when it boils. Boil them until soften for about 10 minutes. Transfer them into plates with a slotted spoon.

Prepare the sauces. For the yogurt sauce, mix yogurt, salt and garlic. For the oil sauce; melt butter and add in olive oil. Add in dried mint and red pepper flakes, stir. Take it after about 20 seconds.

Pour some yogurt on dumplings and drizzle a little oil sauce over it before serving. We also love to sprinkle a little sumac on it. YUM!

Tips and Tricks

  • Let the manti dough sit covered with a damp kitchen towel for about 30 minutes before rolling it out.
  • Use a 90% lean ground beef for the filling to have a better taste and texture.
  • The ground beef filling shouldn’t be juicy. Otherwise the juice will soften the dough squares and distort the shape of dumplings. So don’t puree the onion. It’s better to chop the onion with a knife. 
  • Close up the tiny manti dough squares as fast as you can. Otherwise, they might dry out as they sit and it gets harder to seal them.
  • Just like you do when cooking pasta, add a pinch of salt and a drop of oil into the simmering water when cooking manti. They won’t stick to one another this way.
  • To have even richer flavor, you can add beef stock in the simmering water and then cook the fresh dumplings in it.
  • Cook the dumplings for about 10-15 minute, not longer than this. Check them after 10 minutes and remove if they are tender enough.
Turkish Dumplings Manti with yogurt in a white bowl

Other Turkish Recipes

  • How To Make Turkish Baklava With Phyllo
  • Turkish Börek With Cheese
  • Cheese Stuffed Pogaca Recipe
  • Homemade Pide With Beef
Print

📖 Recipe

Turkish Manti Dumplings

Manti dumplings with a generous amount of yogurt,melted butter and spices in a white bowl on a dark background. Spices in a tiny white bowl on the side.

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Turkish manti dumplings. Homemade pasta filled with a spicy ground beef mixture, cooked and topped with garlicky yogurt and butter sauce.

  • Author: Zerrin
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: Pastry
  • Method: Cooking
  • Cuisine: Turkish

Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup lukewarm water

Filling:

  • 200g ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • ¼ bunch parsley, chopped finely
  • ½ tsp salt
  • A pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tsp pepper paste

Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, mashed
  • A pinch of salt

Butter Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes or chili, sweet or hot
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • 4 cups water to boil dumplings

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, egg and salt.
  2. Add water little by little and mix with your hand.
  3. Knead it well until you have a not very soft dough. You can add extra water or flour to have this result. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Sift a little flour on  the counter. Grab the dough ball and roll it out, not very thin, about 2mm thick.
  5. Cut it first into strips, then into small squares.
  6. Place about ½ teaspoon filling on each square.
  7. Close them up patiently.
  8. Heat 4 cups of water in a pot, add in a pinch of salt and a drop of oil. Bring it to boil. Add in the dumplings and let it simmer until tender, for 10-15 minutes.
  9. Transfer them into bowls with a slotted spoon.
  10. For the yogurt sauce, mix yogurt, salt and garlic.
  11. For the butter and oil sauce, melt butter and add in olive oil. Add in dried mint and red pepper flakes or paprika, stir. Take it after about 20 seconds.
  12. To serve, pour some yogurt sauce on the dumplings and drizzle a little oil sauce over it before serving.

Notes

  1. Let the manti dough sit covered with a damp kitchen towel for about 30 minutes before rolling it out.
  2. Use a 90% lean ground beef for the filling to have a better taste and texture.
  3. The ground beef filling shouldn’t be juicy. Otherwise the juice will soften the dough squares and distort the shape of dumplings. So don’t puree the onion. It’s better to chop the onion with a knife. 
  4. Close up the tiny manti dough squares as fast as you can. Otherwise, they might dry out as they sit and it gets harder to seal them.
  5. Just like you do when cooking pasta, add a pinch of salt and a drop of oil into the simmering water when cooking manti. They won’t stick to one another this way.
  6. To have even richer flavor, you can add beef stock in the simmering water and then cook the fresh dumplings in it.
  7. Cook the dumplings for about 10-15 minute, not longer than this. Check them after 10 minutes and remove if they are tender enough.

Keywords: manti, turkish manti, manti dumplings, manti recipe

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Previous Post: « Turkish Pide Bread Recipe
Next Post: Homemade Turkish Simit »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. carlotta says

    January 10, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    I actually got to your site for the sauces cos I bought a package of manti and i wanted to see how it looked like when served. Agree with you on one thing, packaged manti is quite tasteless. The yogurt sauce and spicy butter sauce made it better though. 🙂 next time I will try making some from scratch using your recipe. Would like to know what other Turkish dish would go well with manti? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Yusuf says

      January 11, 2021 at 3:05 am

      Hi Carlotta,

      Happy to see you here on our blog! The yogurt sauce and spicy butter can work on almost anything. Right? Please let us know how you find it when you have a chance to make manti from scratch. Well, as for the dishes going well with manti, we mostly have it with a salad like shepherd salad. As manti is quite filling, nothing else is needed.

      Reply
  2. Javeriya Shah says

    August 01, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    This is my favourite dish and I love it way too much . I'm definitely going to try this . Keep up the good work !!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. sunjoonlee says

    November 15, 2019 at 7:16 am

    I wish I could eat in my home and I think it will be really tasty

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Lisa Aktug says

    February 24, 2019 at 4:48 pm

    I just saw your name! Her name is Zerrin, too!! It must be a sign 😉

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      February 25, 2019 at 2:52 am

      Such a sweet coincidence! Please give my best wishes to her 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lisa Aktug says

    February 24, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    I’ve been wanting to make this at home for my turkish mother-in-law as it is almost impossible to find here in the states in restaurants or even middle eastern stores. I just did a google search and your recipe popped right up! I can’t wait to try it and surprise her. Thank you so much for sharing - she is 87 and this will make her so happy. <3

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      February 25, 2019 at 2:51 am

      Hi Lisa! I'd be really happy if you make it for your mother-in-law. And it will be my honor if a Turkish woman at that age loves my recipe. Would love to hear the result when you have a chance to try it.

      Reply
  6. QL7 says

    July 19, 2018 at 1:10 am

    I am so glad I found this recipe. I first had these in a Turkish restaurant somewhere in Boston a few years ago, and they were delicious. I remember the sauce had mint in it. So good.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      July 19, 2018 at 1:42 am

      This is a favorite of almost all Turkish people. Hope you have a chance to make it soon. Would love to hear your feedback then.

      Reply
  7. Ursula says

    June 25, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    Hi,

    please let me know how many mantis did you get from this dough

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      June 27, 2015 at 11:51 pm

      Well, I've never counted them, they are so tiny. But I can say that these are for two or three portions.

      Reply
  8. Alex says

    March 21, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    Hello, quick question on this recipe. Do you cook the beef filling prior to stuffing into the dumplings? Or does it cook while they boil?

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 21, 2013 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Alex! No, we don't cook the filling beforehand. As they are so small in size, they can be cooked when boiling in some minutes.

      Reply
  9. Turkey's For Life says

    March 21, 2013 at 7:27 am

    We've never even considered making our own mantı (we have a decent yufkacı down the road from us). It look time consuming but worth the effort as it looks lovely. You may have tempted us to try ourselves, Zerrin. 🙂
    Julia

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 21, 2013 at 1:40 pm

      Hi Julia! It's great if you are happy with the manti you buy from your yufkacı! I don't really like the ones I buy from shops here. If you're looking for some culinary experience, you should try it:)

      Reply
  10. Wendy says

    March 21, 2013 at 5:48 am

    Zerrin, your photos are wonderful. I am learning so much from your posts. You are introducing me to so many foods that are new to me. They all look delicious! I think I will start with the pide though. I am guessing that making these dumplings takes practice. Yours are beautiful!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 21, 2013 at 1:36 pm

      Thank you Wendy! It's my pleasure! Making pide first is a good idea as it's easier:) But I'm sure you can make these dumplings too!

      Reply
  11. Monet says

    March 21, 2013 at 3:55 am

    What a beautiful process and what a wonderful reward. Could these dumplings look any better? Thank you so much for sharing. I have had a long day...and I needed something delicious to cheer me up. I hope you are well. Enjoy the rest of your week. Happy Spring!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 21, 2013 at 1:31 pm

      Thank you Monet! These dumplings always rock! I may not have time to make these after birth, so I thought I had to share the recipe before our son comes:) Happy Nevruz and happy Spring to you too!

      Reply
  12. Reeni says

    March 21, 2013 at 3:15 am

    Those are so tiny Zerrin! What patience you have to form them all. It must be a labor of love. I bet they are amazing!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 21, 2013 at 1:28 pm

      Reeni, these dumplings are so tasty that I don't think of the labor they require! It's definitely worth every single minute of work!

      Reply
  13. Susana I. says

    March 20, 2013 at 9:24 pm

    Sorry, I read about the flours. So forget about that questions, just read the pepper paste one 🙂

    Reply
  14. Susana I. says

    March 20, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    Hi, they look good, first time hearing of this dish. I have a couple questions so I can try and make it one of this days. Can I use all-purpuse flour in case I can´t find whole wheat? Is it too much differece? And, for the filling, can I substitute the pepper paste? (I´m not sure where/if I can get it here).
    Thanks!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 20, 2013 at 8:24 pm

      Hi Susan! You can definitely use all purpose flour, you may need to decrease the amount of water a little then. Dough will not be soft and sticky, so you can play with the amounts of flour and water. Also, pepper paste is not a must in this recipe, you can just leave it out. Maybe you can add a little chili powder to give it a reddish color, but it's optional.

      Reply
      • Susana I. says

        March 20, 2013 at 9:26 pm

        Thanks!! 🙂 What a quick reply! I´ll try them.

        Reply
        • Zerrin says

          March 20, 2013 at 9:46 pm

          You're welcome Susan! Would love to hear the result when you try!

          Reply
  15. Ozlem's Turkish Table says

    March 20, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    Dear Zerrin, your manti is a work of art!! : ) I know it is a labor of love, but what a result, your photos are wonderful and inspired me to have a go at them, hope soon. As you say, it would be wonderful to have friends around to make this feast, eline saglik!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 20, 2013 at 8:26 pm

      Thank you Ozlem! Glad to hear that my manti inspired a talented cook like you! It's always better to make such dishes with some friends!

      Reply
  16. TasteofBeirut says

    March 20, 2013 at 8:22 am

    Here in Beirut, mantis are sold frozen and are called Armenian shish barak! 🙂
    Love your version, made all the more exotic with a Kirghiz touch! I found in Beirut a rolling pin called mantimatik made especially for making manta, it cuts them into perfect tiny squares as you roll them out; I confess though i love your rolling pin!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 20, 2013 at 11:20 am

      In some regions, these mantis are even smaller and they are called spoon borek! I've heard that there are mantimatiks here in Turkey too, but never used used it. Love to work with my rolling pin:)

      Reply
  17. Ilke says

    March 20, 2013 at 3:22 am

    All in perfect combination! You are right, the ones you can find in the stores are tasteless and does not have filling. I paid a hefty price to buy from the Middle Eastern store here in the US several weeks ago, Gulluoglu brand I think. It was just dough - no filling. We were so mad, we could have purchased ten boxes of pasta for what I paid for that small box.
    So, making your own is way to go. My grandma bakes it first, then boils it but I find it easy just to boil in one step 🙂

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 20, 2013 at 11:27 am

      Sorry for your disappointment! Gulluoglu is so famous for its baklava, but I didn't know that it produces manti too. So everyone (every brand) should produce what they are good at! And making manti at home is always the best as you can decide the amount of filling you place in dumplings. I sometimes bake it to freeze, but I just boil raw if I make it right away. I think it is more flavorful this way.

      Reply
  18. TOBALDI-Jo says

    March 19, 2013 at 11:08 pm

    Super idée et cela donne envie ! bravo

    Reply
  19. Rosa says

    March 19, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    So tiny and pretty... That is something I have been dreaming of making since quite a while now. Your manti are fabulous

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      March 19, 2013 at 11:05 pm

      People find it a bit difficult because they are that tiny, but I think a little work makes everything tastier! You will love these Turkish dumplings Rosa!

      Reply

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